Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson sent out a fundraising email with a burning cross to compare the tea party to the Klu Klux Klan.

The Florida congressman, who was known for his over-the-top antics in the House during a previous tenure in Congress, also excerpted a transcript of a recent appearance on MSNBC’s “Politics Nation w/ Al Sharpton” in which he declared that, after the government shutdown, “the tea party is no more popular than the Klan.”

In the email, the burning cross is used as a “t” to spell out “tea party.” See part of the email below: